Ascent/Descent

Submitted by David Vosbikian (United States), Jul 24, 2002 at 09:23

In a prior article: "A New Round of Anger and Humiliation: Islam after 9/11"

You wrote:

"If militant Islam achieved the acme of its achievement on 9/11, then 11/9 could be when the movement began its descent. The first date marked the peak of militant Islam, its day of greatest success in humiliating the West, causing death and panic. The second date, when the Taliban lost their first major city, marked an apparent turning point, with the West finding its resolve and its strength to deal with its new main enemy."

Throughout the entire article you point to many examples around the world backing up this opinion. Yet, in today's article you write:

"Militant Islam is on the ascendant almost everywhere around the globe - except in the nation that has experienced it longest and knows it best. In Iran, it is on the defensive and perhaps in retreat."

I prefer the former to the latter. Which is it in your opinion?

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